A VOIP service and method is provided which comprises an redirecting dialer device (RDD), which connects a telephone to a POTS circuit. Responsive to DTMF signals from the telephone representative of a long telephone distance number, the RDD intercept the DTMF signals and transits alternative DTMF signals representative of an alternative telephone number of a PSTN/VOIP gateway server. Once connected to the PSTN/VOIP gateway server, the RDD then transmits the DTMF signals associated with the original long distance number. The VOIP gateway server is operative to convert the analog signals from the telephone into digital and packetized VOIP data which is transmitted through a public or private IP-based network to a remote telecommunication device associated with the original long distance telephone number. If the DTMF signals from the telephone are representative of a local telephone number, the RDD is operative to forgo transmitting the alternative DTMF signals.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An apparatus comprising: a redirecting component that is at least one of included in a local phone, in operative connection with a local phone, or a combination thereof, wherein the local phone is operative to receive an input of a phone number from a user; wherein the redirecting component is operative to determine whether the inputted phone number corresponds to a local phone number or a long distance phone number, wherein responsive at least in part to a determination that the inputted phone number corresponds to a local phone number, the redirecting component is operative to cause the local phone to connect to a remote phone associated with the local phone number, wherein responsive at least in part to a determination that the inputted phone number corresponds to a long distance phone number, the redirecting component is operative to cause the local phone to connect to at least one service associated with an alternative number stored in a memory of the redirecting component, wherein the redirecting component is operative to cause the long distance phone number to be communicated to the at least one service, wherein the at least one service is operative to establish voice communications over at least one IP network between the local phone and a remote phone associated with the long distance number, wherein the redirecting component is operative to update the memory of the redirecting component to include a different alternative number responsive at least in part to communications received from the at least one service, wherein responsive at least in part to a determination by the redirecting component that a subsequently inputted phone number inputted into the local phone corresponds to a long distance phone number, the redirecting component is operative to cause the local phone to connect to at least one service associated with the different alternative number stored in the memory of the redirecting component in order to cause voice communications to be established between the local phone and a remote phone associated with the subsequently inputted phone number.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising the local phone.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , where the local phone includes the redirecting component.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one service includes at least one server, and further comprising the at least one server.
5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one service is operative to use direct inbound dialing (DID) to establish two way voice communications between the local phone and a remote phone.
6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the alternative number and the different alternative number correspond to direct inbound dialing (DID) numbers with which the at least one server is operative to use to establish communications between the local phone and a remote phone.
7. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one server is operative to establish the voice communications over the at least one IP network using voice over Internet protocol (VoIP).
8. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one server is operative to establish the voice communications over the at least one IP network using session initiation protocol (SIP).
9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the redirecting component is operative to update the memory of the redirecting component to include the different alternative number responsive at least in part to dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signals received from the at least one service.
10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising the at least one service, wherein the at least one service is operative to generate packetized data representative of voice communications received via the local phone.
11. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one service is operative to enable the local phone to receive voice communications corresponding to packetized data received through the at least one IP network.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
May 29, 2012
October 22, 2013
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